Botfly

Botfly, family of flies (order Diptera) whose larvae are parasitic in the tissues and cavities of humans and other mammals. The name is generally given in the United States to the horse botfly, a yellowish-brown insect about 1/2 in (13 mm) long. It lays eggs in the mane and on the legs and belly of horses. When these are licked off and swallowed, they are carried to the stomach, where they hatch. The larvae attach themselves to the lining of the stomach. Within a year, the mature larvae are discharged in the feces; they pupate in the ground and change into flies. The flies have virtually no mouth parts and do not feed during their short adult life.